BROOKVILLE BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) – A new Junior Council Member was sworn in on Tuesday evening at the Brookville Borough Council meeting.
Brookville Area High School senior Donavan Hoffman was officially sworn in just before the start of the meeting.
“I’d like to formally thank the council for the opportunity to represent the student body,” Hoffman said.
“Also, the student body would like to welcome Dr. Maye, along with the new administration, teachers, and staff, to our community.”
Residents Flooding Concerns Revisited
Joyce Wills, who resides at 45 Marlin Street, approached the council again at Tuesday evening’s meeting regarding flooding at her and her daughter’s properties.
“I asked for someone, either (Borough Manager Dana) Schreckengost or (Solicitor James) Dennison, to send me a letter related to their corrective plan of action, and timeframe when it would be completed. As of today, I’ve heard nothing,” Wills said.
Solicitor James Dennison responded, relating that borough staff had met to discuss the issues with flooding at the properties and have been working on a response that is not yet complete.
“You will get a response within the next few days,” Dennison said.
However, Dennison went on to note that the response will not include a plan of correction, as the borough does not own the drain lines in question.
“Those are owned by your daughter and her responsibility right now. The borough does not own or maintain the stream that flows between your two properties. The borough does not own any of the land that is upstream from your property and your daughter’s property, so there’s no quick solution to the problem because there’s nothing for the borough to work on.”
According to Dennison, although the borough cannot step in and immediately remediate the problem, borough staff members have been researching possible solutions, as well as possible sources of funding for the property owners.
“The borough received recommendations from the engineer about changes that could be made, and most of those have already been made to redirect some of the storm flows, especially when some of the storm flows come down Marlin Street.
“They recommended that your daughter replace the storm drains on her property because they’re too small. The borough made an offer on that, but that was refused by your daughter. She did not want to participate in that and we believe that is part of the problem.”
Dennison went on to note that Borough Manager Dana Schreckengost was looking into potential sources of funding for possible changes to the stream or for hazard mitigation, and they identified a Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) program for flood mitigation that may be a possible funding option for the property owners.
According to Dennison, the borough engineer is also doing additional mapping of the watershed in the area to identify any potential changes that could be made to mitigate the problem.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, the council:
- Heard safety concerns from Borough resident Trina Gonzales regarding tailgating at Brookville High School football games.
- Approved special event permits for the Brookville Area Chamber of Commerce Wine Walk to be held on Main Street on December 7 from noon to 5:00 p.m. and for the Jefferson County Courthouse 150th Anniversary Celebration to be held at the courthouse on September 13, from noon to 9:00 p.m.
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